Mary and Martha

These two women had completely different personalities and due to this they
expressed their devotion to Christ in different ways. In Luke 10:38-42, we see that
Martha “was distracted by preparations” in order to serve Jesus. Yet, Mary chose a
better action (v.42). She was sitting at the feet of Jesus and learning from Him. There is
not a question in the fact that Mary was a disciple. A disciple (in this time period) would
typically be found sitting at the feet of the rabbi in order to learn.
Yet, we should not question Martha’s dedication due to her momentary
distraction. She was the focus of this passage (Luke 10) because it was a unique learning
experience for her. Martha was willing to be a servant to Christ and a dedicated hostess
to Him as her guest. Jesus Himself said that the greatest was that of a servant. Therefore,
the heart of Mary was correct. However, the timing was off. She would not always have
her Lord with her and should make the best of the moment. She should hear His every
word face to face. As a disciple and as a woman, this would have taught Martha that her
priorities need to be correct.
Later when Lazarus died, it was heart breaking for Mary and Martha. The
situation tested their faith. They were only able to see their tears and were caught up in
the moment of their loss. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother
would not have died” (Luke 11:21). Martha’s words reflected to Jesus the hurt and
confusion that was lodged up deep in her soul. She could not understand why her Lord
would have left and allowed this to happen. All she knew was that He could have
prevented it, if His presence was there earlier. Jesus helped Martha to understand that
His people will live (John 11:25-26). Then Martha made it vocally expressed to Jesus
that she believed that “He was the son of God” (John 11:27). Despite her pain and
confusion over her brother Lazarus’s death, Martha still believed in Jesus.
In the end, both Mary and Martha understood that the overall trial of their
brother’s death was to reveal Christ’s power, compassion, and glory. He did not leave
them, but through hard times taught them to trust in Him. He proved that His people will
live by raising their brother Lazarus from the dead. This trial of Mary and Martha
teaches us that God is sovereign. That we can express our true emotions with Him and
He listens. He also feels are pain, for “Jesus wept” over Lazarus’s death. Finally,
whether we like it or not, sometimes God allows are needs to go unmet temporarily in
order to teach us to rely on Him…maturity often comes in extreme adversity.